The subject matter herein relates generally to electrical connectors, and more particularly, to a connector jack having a standard plug interface combined with a back end design for improved connector performance.
In electrical systems, such as telecommunications systems, there is increasing concern for preserving signal integrity as signal speed and bandwidth increase. One source of signal degradation is crosstalk between multiple signal paths. In the case of an electrical connector carrying multiple signals, crosstalk occurs when signals conducted over a first signal path are partly transferred by inductive or capacitive coupling into a second signal path. The transferred signals produce crosstalk in the second path that degrades the signal routed over the second path.
One example of a typical connector for telecommunications systems is the industry standard type RJ-45 communication connector. Both plugs and jacks are provided for mating with one another. The RJ-45 connector includes four pairs of conductors that define four different signal paths for carrying differential signals. The plugs are dictated by industry standards and are inherently susceptible to crosstalk, return loss and other phenomenon that lead to signal degradation. The jacks are designed to mate with the plugs, and as such have a conventionally designed front end for mating with the RJ-45 plug. Various features have been used in conventional RJ-45 jacks to compensate for the inherent electrical performance problems of the RJ-45 plugs. Typically, the compensation is provided at the front end, such as by controlling the positioning of mating contacts of the jacks. Additionally, at least some known jacks include compensation components that are utilized to tune or otherwise control certain electrical characteristics of the jacks. However, heretofore, little attention has been paid to the rear end of the jacks where the jacks are connected to cables.
The design of the jacks and cables are susceptible to crosstalk even at the rear end of the jack. Problems associated with the design of the jacks and the cables are becoming more prevalent with the increase in signal speed and bandwidth. At least some known jacks have provided shielding at the rear end of the jack between the signal pairs. For example, some known jacks utilize a plus-shaped shield at the rear end to separate each signal pair. However, with such designs noise coupling in one region of the jack is propagated to other areas of the jack. The shortcomings that are inherent in jacks such as the RJ-45 can be expected to become more serious as system demands continue to increase.
It would be desirable to provide a connector that is designed to provide improved high speed performance by minimizing crosstalk and optimizing return loss while providing a standardized plug interface.